Cancer cells are difficult to spot but with the new high-tech glasses that researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri have developed, it may soon be easier for medical practitioners to identify and remove cancer cells during surgery.
Samuel Achilefu, a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Washington University, and his colleagues, have developed an eyewear that could help surgeons differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells. The infected tissues glow blue when viewed through the eyeglasses making it easier to spot them and helping ensure that doctors do not leave infected cells behind during surgery.
"A limitation of surgery is that it's not always clear to the naked eye the distinction between normal tissue and cancerous tissue," said Ryan Fields, an assistant professor of surgery at the Washington University. "With the glasses developed by Dr. Achilefu, we can better identify the tissue that must be removed."
The technology does not have a name yet but it was already used during surgery for the first time at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, on Monday.
Breast surgeon Julie Margenthaler, an associate professor of surgery at Washington University who performed the operation, admitted that the technology still needs improvement. "We're all interested in finding some way to perfect our surgical technique and ultimately find cancer cells earlier," she said.
Margenthaler also said the technology has significant benefits to patients."We're in the early stages of this technology, and more development and testing will be done, but we're certainly encouraged by the potential benefits to patients," she said. "Imagine what it would mean if these glasses eliminated the need for follow-up surgery and the associated pain, inconvenience and anxiety."
In the animal studies published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, Achilefu and his team conducted tests on mice using indocyanine green, a contrast agent that once injected into the tumor, makes the cancer cells glow when viewed using the glasses and a special light. The research team has already applied patent for the technology. Achilefu is also seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new dye formula that specifically targets and makes cancer cells glow when viewed through the special glasses.
"This technology has great potential for patients and health-care professionals," Achilefu said. "Our goal is to make sure no cancer is left behind." Besides its applications in medicine, the technology might also serve purpose in food inspection to identify contaminants.
